Ralph Norman

Ralph Warren Norman Jr. (born June 20, 1953) is an American real estate developer and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 5th congressional district since 2017.[2] A member of the Republican Party, his district includes most of the South Carolina side of the Charlotte metropolitan area, along with outer portions of the Upstate and Midlands. Norman previously served as the South Carolina State Representative for the 48th district from 2005 to 2007 and again from 2009 until 2017.

Ralph Norman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office June 20, 2017
Preceded by	Mick Mulvaney
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 48th district
In office November 3, 2009 – February 16, 2017
Preceded by	Carl Gullick
Succeeded by	Bruce Bryant
In office January 2005 – January 2007
Preceded by	Becky Richardson
Succeeded by	Carl Gullick
Personal details
Born	Ralph Warren Norman Jr. June 20, 1953 Rock Hill, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Elaine Rice ​ (m. 1976)​
Children	4
Education	Presbyterian College (BS)
Net worth	$18.3 million (2018)[1]
Website	House website

Norman won a special election after Mick Mulvaney had vacated his seat in Congress following his appointment as Director of the Office of Management and Budget by President Donald Trump. As of 2018, with a net worth of $18.3 million, he is the 17th wealthiest member of Congress.[3]

Early life and career

He was born in York County, South Carolina, and currently resides in Rock Hill, where he is a real estate developer at the Warren Norman Company, a business founded by and named after Norman's father. He and his wife, Elaine, have 4 children and 17 grandchildren.[4] He received a bachelor's degree in business from Presbyterian College in 1975.

South Carolina House of Representatives

In 2004, Norman was elected to serve District 48 in the South Carolina House of Representatives, winning a three-way Republican primary outright with 52% of the vote. After one term, Norman chose not to run for reelection so he could become the 2006 Republican candidate in an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Congress in South Carolina's 5th congressional district against John Spratt.[5]

On November 3, 2009, Ralph Norman defeated Democrat Kathy Cantrell in a special election to reclaim his old seat.[6]

U.S. House of Representatives

2017 special election

In December 2016, President Donald Trump nominated Mick Mulvaney as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).[7] At the time, Mulvaney represented South Carolina's 5th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Shortly after this nomination, and in anticipation that Mulvaney's seat in Congress would be vacated once he was confirmed to the OMB by the United States Senate, Norman announced his intention to resign from the South Carolina House of Representatives to run for U.S. Congress.[8][9][10]

On May 16, 2017, Norman won a Republican primary runoff election against Tommy Pope by a margin of 0.6%, triggering an automatic recount per South Carolina state law.[11][12] Following that recount, the South Carolina State Election Commission certified Norman as the Republican primary winner on May 19, 2017. With 35,425 votes cast, Norman received 17,823, while Pope received 17,602, a 221-vote difference.[13]

Having secured the Republican nomination in the primary election, Norman went on to face the Democratic nominee, Sumter attorney Archie Parnell, in a special election held on June 20, 2017. In that special election, Norman received 51.0% of the votes while Parnell received 47.9%.[14]

Norman was sworn into office on June 26, 2017.[15]

2018

Norman being interviewed in 2019

On March 19, 2018, Representative Norman filed for re-election for with the South Carolina Election Commission.[16] Facing no Republican primary challengers, Norman secured the Republican party nomination following the South Carolina primary election held on June 12, 2018.[17]

Meanwhile, Archie Parnell, the Democratic challenger that Norman defeated during the 2017 special election, chose to run again for South Carolina's 5th Congressional District seat in Congress.[18] Parnell defeated three Democratic opponents to win that party's nomination, and went on to face Norman once again in the 2018 general election.[19]

The 2018 general election in South Carolina was held November 6, 2018. Norman won re-election, receiving 57.0% of the votes to Parnell's 41.5%.[20] Norman's margin of victory was significantly larger than his margin of victory over Parnell in the 2017 special election, held 17 months earlier. However, state and national Democrats had distanced themselves from Parnell after news broke that he'd abused his first wife.[21]

2020

Representative Norman filed for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives on March 16, 2020.[22] He secured the Republican nomination after facing no Republican challengers in the South Carolina primary election held on June 12, 2020.[23]

Norman went on to defeat Democrat Mauricus “Moe” Brown in the general election held on November 3, 2020. Norman received 60.1% of the votes to Brown’s 39.9%.[24]

Sexual assault joke

On September 20, 2018, at an election debate for the Republican nomination for the 5th congressional seat of South Carolina, Norman joked about sexual assault allegations made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. He kicked-off the debate asking the audience, “Did y’all hear this latest late-breaking news on the Kavanaugh hearings? …Ruth Bader Ginsburg came out saying she was groped by Abraham Lincoln.”[25]

Firearm incident

While at a public meeting for constituents on April 6, 2018, Norman engaged in a conversation with representatives from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (MDA).[26] During that conversation, Norman placed his personal .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun on the table to illustrate his belief that "gun violence is a spiritual, mental or people issue, not a gun issue."[26] According to Norman, the loaded firearm was visible for "maybe a minute, or two minutes" and was never pointed at any individual.[27][28] However, representatives from MDA who were seated at the table with Norman, said the firearm was visible for "five to 10 minutes" and that they felt unsafe.[28][29] Norman holds a Concealed Weapons Permit issued by the State of South Carolina.[30]

The incident sparked widespread criticism of Norman.[31] On April 9, 2018, South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Trav Robertson wrote a letter to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division requesting felony charges against Norman for his conduct.[32] The case was originally assigned to South Carolina 16th Solicitor Kevin Brackett. However, Brackett recused himself citing a "personal friendship" with Norman.[33] The issue was then forwarded to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who declined to press charges stating that Norman's actions did not "warrant a criminal investigation" or constitute "a prosecutable offense."[34][35]

Steve King

In 2019, Norman joined with a small group of other House Republicans who sought to reinstate Rep. Steve King on House committees.[36] King had lost his committee positions due to a series of racist and white nationalist remarks.[37] The group also included Reps. Louie Gohmert and Paul Gosar.[36] Ultimately, King was not reinstated.

Donald Trump and election contesting

Norman was described as a Trump ally during Donald Trump's presidency.[38] After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election and President Donald Trump made claims of election fraud, Norman called for an investigation into fraud.[39]

In December 2020, Norman was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[40] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[41][42][43]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Norman and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[44][45] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Norman and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[46]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Oversight and Reform[47]
  • Subcommittee on Government Operations
• Committee on Science, Space, and Technology [48]
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight
• Committee on the Budget[49]

Caucus memberships

• Republican Study Committee[50]
• House Freedom Caucus[51]
• Congressional Solar Caucus[52]
• Congressional Western Caucus[53]
• Congressional Waste-Cutters Caucus[54]

Electoral history

South Carolina's 5th congressional district special election Republican primary, 2017[55][56]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tommy Pope	11,943	30.4%
	Republican	Ralph Norman	11,808	30.1%
	Republican	Tom Mullikin	7,759	19.8%
	Republican	Chad Connelly	5,546	14.1%
	Republican	Sheri Few	1,930	4.9%
	Republican	Kris Wampler	197	0.5%
	Republican	Ray Craig	87	0.2%
Total votes			39,270	100.0%
Runoff election
	Republican	Ralph Norman	17,823	50.3%
	Republican	Tommy Pope	17,602	49.7%
Total votes			35,425	100.0%

South Carolina's 5th congressional district special election, 2017[57]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Ralph Norman	45,076	51.0%	-8.0%
	Democratic	Archie Parnell	42,341	47.9%	+9.2%
	American	Josh Thornton	319	0.4%	-1.7%
	Libertarian	Victor Kocher	273	0.3%	N/A
	Green	David Kulma	242	0.3%	N/A
	Write-in	Write-in	65	0.1%	+0.3%
Total votes			88,316	100.0%
	Republican hold

South Carolina's 5th congressional district, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ralph Norman (incumbent)	141,757	57.0
	Democratic	Archie Parnell	103,129	41.5
	Constitution	Michael Chandler	3,443	1.4
	n/a	Write-ins	250	0.1
Total votes			248,579	100.0
	Republican hold

References

1. "Ranking the Net Worth of the 115th". Retrieved August 5, 2019.
2. "Norman, Ralph (1953–)".
3. "Ranking the Net Worth of the 115th". Retrieved August 5, 2019.
4. "Biography | U.S. Representative Ralph Norman". norman.house.gov. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
5. Lyman, Rick (April 14, 2006). "Seeing Plausible Target, Republicans Take Aim at a Democratic Seat in South Carolina". The New York Times.
6. "Norman Returned To SC State House | FITSNews". FITSNews. November 4, 2009. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012.
7. "Trump picks US Rep. Mulvaney to head White House budget office". CNBC. Reuters. December 16, 2016. Archived from the original on December 17, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
8. Marchant, Bristow (February 2, 2017). "What happens after SC's Mulvaney gets Trump's budget job?". The State. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
9. "Ralph Norman to run for Congress – if Mick Mulvaney takes Trump budget job". charlotteobserver. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
10. "SC legislator resigns seat to run for Congress". thestate. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
11. "SC – Election Results". www.enr-scvotes.org. South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
12. "Recount needed: Norman edges Pope by 203 votes in GOP 5th District runoff". heraldonline. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
13. "SC – Election Results". www.enr-scvotes.org. South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
14. "SC – Election Results". www.enr-scvotes.org. South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
15. Dumain, Emma (June 26, 2017). "South Carolina U.S. House Delegation Now Complete with Swearing-In of Republican Ralph Norman". The Post and Courier. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
16. "Candidate Detail". info.scvotes.sc.gov. South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
17. "South Carolina's 5th Congressional District election, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
18. Kropf, Schuyler. "Sumter Democrat Archie Parnell running for Congress again vs. Republican Ralph Norman". The Post and Courier. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
19. "Election Night Reporting". www.enr-scvotes.org. South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
20. "Election Night Reporting". www.enr-scvotes.org. South Carolina Election Commission. November 27, 2018.
21. Andrews, Becca (June 8, 2018). "This South Carolina primary will test whether Democrats are willing to overlook domestic violence". Mother Jones. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
22. "Candidate Detail". info.scvotes.sc.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
23. "South Carolina's 5th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 9 Republican primary)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
24. "South Carolina Election Results: Fifth Congressional District". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
25. Thebault, Reis (September 20, 2018). "GOP congressman jokes about Ruth Bader Ginsburg being groped – by Abraham Lincoln". The Washington Post.
26. Lovegrove, Jamie. "U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman pulls out loaded gun in constituent meeting to make point about safety". The Post and Courier. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
27. "Congressman Ralph Norman pulls out loaded gun at Rock Hill meet-and-greet". heraldonline. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
28. Stevens, Matt; Caron, Christina (April 8, 2018). "South Carolina Congressman Pulls Out Gun at a Meeting With Voters". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
29. Grayer, Annie. "Congressman pulls out gun to make point on violence". CNN. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
30. "Congressman Ralph Norman pulls out loaded gun at Rock Hill meet-and-greet". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
31. "Some question legality of Rep. Norman gun display at meet-and-greet". heraldonline. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
32. "Dems seek charges after SC congressman displays handgun". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
33. "The Latest: Solicitor recuses self from congressman gun case". heraldonline. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
34. "Top Prosecutor: No Gun-Related Charges for SC Congressman". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 10, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
35. Turnage, Jeremy. "AG Alan Wilson will not charge congressman who pulled out gun during constituent meeting". Retrieved April 11, 2018.
36. Zanona, Melanie; Bresnahan, John (June 3, 2019). "Conservatives push to reinstate Steve King on committees despite racist remarks". Politico. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
37. Gabriel, Trip (January 10, 2019). "Before Trump, Steve King Set the Agenda for the Wall and Anti-Immigrant Politics (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
38. "In Ralph Norman, Trump Gets a Strong Ally". Roll Call. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
39. "Republicans push back on 2020 election results, despite warning of backlash in GA runoff election turnout". WANE 15. December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
40. Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
41. Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
42. "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
43. Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
44. Smith, David (December 12, 2020). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
45. "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
46. Williams, Jordan (December 11, 2020). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
47. "Oversight and Reform Members". House Committee on Oversight and Reform. January 28, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
48. "Membership". House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. January 24, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
49. "Membership". House Budget Committee Democrats. March 31, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
50. "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
51. Lovegrove, Jamie (July 2, 2018). "Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows to headline South Carolina GOP fundraiser". The Post and Courier. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
52. "Creation". Congressional Solar Caucus. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
53. "Members". Congressional Western Caucus. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
54. "Rep. Norman and Rep. Brat Announce Launch of the Congressional Waste-Cutters Caucus". U.S. Representative Ralph Norman. September 6, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
55. "South Carolina Election Results: Two Republicans Advance, Democrat Wins in U.S. House Primaries". May 2, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
56. "Recount 2017 U.S. House District 5 Republican Primary Runoff". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
57. "Special Election – U.S. House District 5, State House Districts 48 and 70 – June 20, 2017". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved June 19, 2017.

External links

• Congressman Ralph Norman official U.S. House website
• Campaign website
• Ralph Norman at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Official Biography, South Carolina House of Representatives